Being a key player in the inner-workings of the United Nations, the United States has traditionally delegated the responsibility of communicating its interests to the United Nations Secretary General and the General Assembly by utilizing the individual in the position of American Ambassador to the United Nations.

The Trump Administration has adhered to this precedent by nominating and selecting former South Carolina senator Nikki Haley to fill the position.

Since she began on 20 January 2017, Haley has been constantly advocating for better, more beneficial Israeli-American relations for both countries, as well as openly expressing her belief that Russia should be distrusted at all times due to the evidence seen though the nation’s past international actions (annexing the Crimean Peninsula, potential influence in the 2016 United States presidential election, etc. ).

This loud voice of opposition to United Nations policies, or even past United States-United Nations policies may force the newly elected Secretary General for the United Nations, António Guterres, to make some tough decisions relating to either appeasing nations holding most of the power or those who need the support of his voice the most.

The new United States administration has often chastised the previous administration’s lack of influence within the United Nations in terms of issues concerning individual international relations with Russia and Israel.

Haley has been trying to establish herself as an advocate for United States interests by promoting good relations within the United Nations, as well as standing up for Israeli interests that she and the rest of the Trump administration believe have been cast aside in recent years, most recently with the appointment of a  former Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, to the position of United Nations envoy to Syria. Haley and the United States’ main worry is that, because of the ongoing rivalry between Israel and Palestine, the new appointee will further the separation and prejudices held by certain members of the United Nations towards Israel. United States Vice President Mike Pence recently stated on Haley’s actions and advocacy within the United Nations, “Ambassador Haley is already fighting tirelessly to end the one-sided actions of the U.N. that unfairly target Israel.”

There has also been some discontinuity between the other topic of advocacy that Haley has been pushing for and those that the current administration has expressed interest in during her short time as ambassador to the United Natinos. Haley openly continues to express her belief that the United Nations and other nations should not trust Russia, referring to the current investigation being conducted into the extent of Russian involvement with the United States presidential election, as well as Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and their continued interference with the Ukrainian civil war.

The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed a desire to improve international relations with the Russian government; however, this is far from what the ambassador to the United Nations has been talking about.

As the United States pushes forward for a more friendly relationship with Russia, it is critical to the former’s image that its United Nations Ambassador continue to emphasize the importance of aiding nations in need. This will maintain the unofficial precedent set by previous administrations in terms of relationships with nations like Israel who have received the short end of too many United Nations bargains among its members, and who has received a substantial amount of foreign aid from its allied nations, such as the United States.

Secretary General of the United Nations, Guterres, may find that the American influence will become much stronger than before due to the looming threat of important funding cuts from the United States that had been directed toward the United Nations and Peacekeeping purposes, as was mentioned in my previous blog post. However, a key piece of this new budget in terms of foreign aid is the continuation of the billions of dollars given to Israel each year for various usages.

Haley continues to assure the Secretary General and the rest of the General Assembly that she personally believes in the power of the United Nations, its standing in the world, and the mission that encompasses the founding ideals of the international organization itself.

However, as of right now it looks like the future does in fact hold the budget cuts that will occur starting next fiscal year, ever-growing Russia-America interactions, and an escalating conflict between the United Nations and the seeming lack of attention it gives to Israel’s struggles.